Lena Akesson - Tales of a Travelling Mind (2017)

Lena Åkesson, a singer from Linköping, presents her own music to her own lyrics on this album. She has a fine voice that also does justice to the compositions. The pronunciation of the English lyrics has slight flaws in some places. But this is helped by the ease of singing and the soft attack. There is nothing wrong with the commitment in the performance and there is an obvious joy in what she does. She has skillfully performing musicians by her side. Carl Flemsten's piano solos have a harmonically touching depth where both hands are used in a commendable way. Hans Åkesson, who produced the album, is a skilled saxophonist who here performs solos of a fine and inspired melodic character. His clarinet playing is permeated by the same ingredients. Tobias Grenholm's bass playing should have been given a little more space because he creates phrases of interest. And Johan Löfcrantz Ramsay's drumming is, as is well known, well worth listening to intensely. As for the melodies as a whole, there is a similarity between them.